Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1887-03-03
Ia. The PARTY KEEP. a. pledge,

The democratic party OF this country,
in the last democratic national conven-
ton, held at Chicago in 1884, pledged
itself that If trusted in power by the PEG.
pie, they would reduce taxes and avoid
the accumulation Of an unnecessary sur
plus in the national treasury. One Of the
charges made against the republican par
ty by the democrats In 1884. was that
taxation had become burdensome under
q republican administration, and that
there was consequently a surplus in the
treasury amounting to many millions Of
dollars. According to the democratic
platform adopted at Chicago and the de-
clarations Of democratic orators and
newspaper editors, the peculiar mission
of the party vas to reduce this surplus
in the treasury by reducing taxation.
Has the party fulfilled that pledges Has
1t done anything whatever looking in the
direction of its ful6llment2 The inselli.
gent reader who has kept posted In ref
erence to the course OF legislation will
answer these questions for himself, and
will be compelled to answer in the mega.
tive.
Some democrats will try to excuse
their party by saying that a republican
senate has stood in the way of accom-
plishing anything; but such an excuse
will go down, only with those who are
ignorant Of the methods and constitu-
tional requirements Of Legislation. All
tax bills must originate In the house of
representatives. Since the election of
Grever Cleveland. the house Of represen-
tatives has had a large democratic major.
ity. This majority is ~abundaptly able
to pass any measure 1t wishes to pass;
but no measure has passed in the house,
looking to o reduction of taxation. If 1t
had been defeated in the senate, then 1t
could be truthfully said that the republi
a senate stood In the way Of reduction;
but every one who knows anything about
it at all knows this is not so. No bill for
reducing taxes has passed the house, not
q single one. The senate has not been
called upon to agree or disagree with the
house upon any measure concerning the
reduction Of federal taxation.
The fact Is, the majority of the demo-
Gratis in the house of representatives are
so welded to their own peculiar theories
on the reduction of federal taxation, that
they will consent to nothing else than
their own plans. They propose TO re.
duce taxation by striking down a policy
under which the country has prospered
as 1t never prospered before, the policy
of protection to American industry. I'm
less they car secure q revision of the tar.
i'll laws, so rs to carry out their notions,
they are determined that there shall be
no reduction Of internal taxation. This
was illustrated only the other day, when
the democratic speaker Of the house of
representatives arbitrarily refused to rec
ognize one of his W party associates
who desired to move for the abolition of
the internal revenue tax on tobacco.
Here O large reduction was proposed,
affecting m Of the leading industries of
the country, but 1t could not be considered
because it wa in conflict with pet ideas
Of democratic statesmen with free trade
proclivities. a
Next year the people will elect a Presi
dent and members Of congress. The
democrats will again ask to be trusted,
and will again, no doubt, promise the
people to reduce taxation. The fact will
be pointed out, that they. had made. the,
same pledges before ana mad 1ailSd TO car
Try them out. Then they will offer ex-
cuses, saying that they stood ready at all
times to redeem their oft-repeated pledges,
but that the republican pretectionists
had been the obstruction in the way,
which prevented them from doing so.
And then they will be confronted with
the undeniable truth, that their own big
otry, their own narrow-mindedness, their
own obstinacy had been the trouble in
the way, and they will be invited to step
down and out. The people Of this coun.
try are in favor Of q reduction Of taxation;
but they do not expect 1t to be done in
such a way as to place a burden on the
shoulders Of the laboring men of the
country, by reducing their wages to q
level with the wages paid the half.fed
and half-clad working-people of Eu-
ropean countries. -Knorptlb Journal.